OSD culture should be shunned
Officer on Special Duty’ is what the government does to punish someone in bureaucracy by taking away his desk. The individual in question remains free to draw the benefits associated with his / her position while having no duty to perform. We are appalled to see the punishment meted out to an individual for the last 16 years who has received benefits to the tune of Tk6.5million over the period as payment for his tenure of ‘no service’ to successive governments.
Regardless of whatever the individual in question was supposed to have done, or in many cases, not done, since OSD is often used to settle political or personal scores, the fact remains that Mr. Kader’s sorry state has come to light due to the inordinately long period he has remained OSD. His situation may be unusual in terms of the period, but it is by no means unique. This paper has highlighted the culture of OSD in the civil service. Indeed, public money to the tune of Tk151crores for the upkeep of more than 3,500 public servants sidelined as OSDs over the last decade.
Things have gotten to the stage where the High Court has sought an explanation from the government. Whether or not a rational explanation will be forthcoming, one will have to wait and watch out for. But as we have reiterated in the past, it is imperative to drastically reduce this phenomenon that is to a great degree based on partisan considerations.
Source: The Daily Star
